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Canada got the last hurrah at the Celebration of Light Saturday evening, closing the three-night event with a winning display. Canada was declared the winner of the event, with Brazil and China finishing second and third, respectively.

Kelly Wiebe of Regina crosses the finish line of the annual Sun Run Sunday, April 15, winning the men's elite category with a time of 29:12.

Photograph by: Wayne Leidenfrost
, PNG

It’s not unusual for elite runners crossing the finish line of a 10K race to have a bit of a dazed look.

Spent physically, they wander, sometimes a little unsteadily, trying to catch their breath and their equilibrium.

On Sunday, for Kelly Wiebe, that look was mixed with a whole lot of shock.

The 22-year-old University of Regina environmental engineering student, running in his just his second road race, outsprinted Kenyan native Kip Kangogo of Lethbridge, Alta. over the final 100 metres to win the prestigious Vancouver Sun Run 10K.

“I can’t even believe what happened here,” the lanky, 6-foot-2 runner said a couple of minutes after breaking the tape in 29 minutes, 12.3 seconds on a cool, breezy morning. “I wasn’t expecting to win at all. I was just hoping to be in that lead group and maybe finish in the top five, six or seven.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think of winning the Vancouver Sun Run, so I’m very happy.”

Wiebe is the second consecutive Canadian to win the race after foreign runners, 10 of them Kenyan, had won 12 straight times beginning in 1999.

A member of Canada’s team at the cross-country worlds last year, Wiebe led for a good portion of the race. Over the last couple of kilometres, there were a couple of lead changes as he battled with Kangogo, Matt Loiselle of Toronto and defending champion Eric Gillis of Guelph, Ont.

Kangogo, the 2010 winner, had a slim lead coming off the Cambie Street bridge onto Pacific Boulevard, but Wiebe found a second gear and beat him to the line by 1.3 seconds. Loiselle was third in 29:17.8 and Gills fourth in 29:30.

“I know these guys have a lot of marathon miles under their legs and I’m kind of gearing up for the track season, so I was kind of chomping at the bit coming into the last 50 [metres]. I knew I had these guys at the end.”

Loiselle, 27, said it was a good, tactical race until Wiebe and Kangogo, with a kilometre to go, took off like bats out of hell.

Kangogo, who is hoping to secure his Canadian citizenship by next year, said the wind conditions made it more of a tactical race. He said he gave it all he could in the closing sprint.

“[Wiebe] was the best guy to win it today. Being second, I still enjoy it.”

Gillis, who warmed up in a Canucks jersey after joking in a tweet earlier in the week that the Canucks ain’t worth watching, was racing for the first time since running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon last October when he met the qualifying standard for the London Olympics.

“I’m happy, I felt better than I expected, so Im going to take that positive from it,” said Gillis, who had been troubled the last month by some muscle issues in his thigh. “I didn’t have a kick coming from altitude [in Flagstaff, Ariz.] and not doing a lot of speed work. They did and they were faster.”

Wiebe, whose only other road race was a local 10K in Regina last May, collected a cool $5,000 for his win — $3,000 for the overall title and $2,000 as top Canadian.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It shows me I can stick with the best, not only in Canada, but I can be up with the top guys in big road races in the world. This is huge for my confidence, a big stepping-stone. I feel, this really ... I can’t even put it in words. It’s just unbelievable.”

Wiebe said he’s pointing to the 10,000 metres at track nationals this summer and wants to put together a good cross-country season in the fall. But he says he’ll definitely look for more road races.

Long-term, he’s likely headed for marathon running.

“I think the marathon is going to ultimately be my distance. I still have a year of university to go, but once I finish university, I’m thinking about moving up to the marathon.

“I just have to find a group to train with. I’m not going to be staying in Regina, I don’t think. Maybe a group out here. Guelph looks like a pretty good place to do some marathon training, too. Well see.”

AT THE LINE: Samuel Pawluk of Richmond was the top local runner, finishing eighth in 30:55.4 ... Kevin O’Connor, 44, of Vancouver, won the men’s Masters Division in 31:32.9, followed by Bruce Deacon of Victoria in 32:18.

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